


Home for the Holidays

by bryar6



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Bonfire, F/M, Fire, Fluff, Holiday, I make headcanons about their holidays, Kissing, Like Tons of Fluff, New Years, Pre-Canon holiday, Winter, Young Characters, holiday fluff, pre-Season One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22073440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bryar6/pseuds/bryar6
Summary: A pre-canon oneshot where I make some general headcanons about holidays in Katolis. Featuring lovely Sarai and Harrow fluff and adorable young Callum and Ezran.
Relationships: Harrow/Sarai (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18





	Home for the Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long! I've been busy, stressed, and tired... 
> 
> But I feel this makes up for the lack of another chapter on my main work. Enjoy!

Snow settled heavily on the tree boughs, a sign of more to come. It was winter in Katolis and a brisk wind was picking up already. The Banther lodge was covered in a foot of steadily falling snow. The dim rising sun sent a sparkling glitter over the small white dunes and the snowdrifts against the lodge. Snow reached the edges of the windows and where the seals were poor, small, desperate flakes settled inside. They quickly melted into tiny puddles on the windowsill, soaking the edges of multiple drawings ripped from sketchbook pages that were littered all around the lodge. 

“Look on the bright side, boys, we can make a snowman now,” Harrow said, joining Callum and Ezran by the fireplace. 

“It’s so cold out,” Ezran complained, tucking his feet up closer around him. “And Bait doesn’t like the snow.” The glow toad grunted in agreement. 

“I want to build a snowman!” Callum exclaimed, leaping to his feet. “Can we go now? Where’s mom? She’ll build a snowman with us!”

Harrow laughs deeply. “She’s still asleep. It’s early, and we all know she’s not a morning person.” 

“Yeah. Ez, did you eat all the jelly tarts already?” Callum rifled through the basket on the table, brow furrowing. 

“S’okay. Mom hid some,” Ezran said, yawning. “Maybe...I’ll go back to bed. Too early.” 

Callum threw himself down onto a plush chair, arms crossed. “I’m bored now.” 

“Go get your sketchbook, draw something nice for mom for Solstice tomorrow?” Harrow suggested. Callum shrugged. 

“I guess.” Soon, he was hard at work scribbling away at his paper with fireplace charcoal. Harrow would never tell him the surprise in a million years, but tomorrow morning Callum would receive his first set of nice pencils. 

Harrow’s gaze turned to Ezran, laying by the fire and holding Bait to his chest. His sleepy, tired young son. He couldn’t even begin to imagine that the boy would one day be a king. Harrow shook his head, relaxing into his comfortable chair. He closed his eyes, thinking of the many years left he would have to teach his sons. There were so many things he needed to tell them. But for now, they could just grow up. 

X

Sarai groaned as she sat up in bed. She’d always found the beds of royalty to be too soft to sleep properly on. She needed something more firm. She and her sister weren’t soft...speaking of, where was Amaya? 

Sarai blinked her eyes open, remembering that they were currently at the winter lodge. Harrow had planned them a nice little vacation, except for one little detail. They were going to get snowed in. 

She stood, rubbed her eyes, and wiped a hand across the frosty glass. She shivered. Where she and Callum came from, it was nothing like this. It was warm. Sunny. But, maybe, Sarai thought, maybe she would get used to it. 

A startling knocking on her door made her jump away from the window. 

“M’lady, I know you’re in there…” 

She sighed. It was just her husband. She grimaced a little, thinking of Callum’s father. He still wasn’t used to his new stepdad. But it would just take time. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” she grunted. She wasn’t used to spending Solstice trapped inside. To think, spending the shortest day of the year not enjoying every second of it. But here, she supposed, it was better in than out. 

She threw a blanket over the gifts in the corner so the kids wouldn’t see it, and opened the door. Harrow’s gentle, angular face peered down at her. She smiled. She could get used to that sight. 

“So, time for a few stories for the boys, I’m guessing? And then traditional snowmen afterwards, right?” She pulled him in for a hug. 

“Sure. Then some pie, and, oh, maybe lunch at some point?” He laughed, nuzzling her head. 

“Ewww!” came the boys sitting near the hearth. 

The happy couple laughed and joined their kids. 

X

“There. Three snowmen and one…” Sarai gestured at the fierce looking snow sculpture on the end. 

“Snow-elf!” Callum said, jumping up beside his creation and baring his teeth. “Grrr! I’m going to steal all your Solstice gifts!” Ezran giggled and clung to Harrow’s leg. 

Callum’s creation was a fanged elf, with sticks for sharp ears and with four-pronged branches for hands. Sarai grimaced at it. 

“You know, elves might not be as bad as you think,” she said, giving Callum a skeptical look. 

“Okay, okay.” Callum turned on his heels and turned the frown so that it vaguely resembled a smile. “Better?” Sarai laughed a little. Maybe one day her sons could make a real difference, maybe even change the world. 

“Alright. C’mon, let’s get inside, it’s so cold out here.” Sarai paused as they’re heading in and turned to see Callum standing in front of his snow-elf. She watched as he removed the fangs and angry eyebrows and curved the edges of the stick mouth into a deeper smile. Callum put his hands on his hips, looking a bit more satisfied. 

Sarai called Callum again and swept him up into her arms. “I love you,” she mumbled into his hair. 

“I love you too, Mom. I really do,” he said, burying his face into her neck. 

X

“You left the eggnog out, right? And the bread? And the carrots?” Callum asked, anxiously. 

“Yes, of course I did. Don’t you worry. But remember, the spirits only come when you’re asleep.” Sarai reassured him as she tucked him and his brother into bed. 

“Okay. Alright. Yeah.” Callum nodded to himself and rubbed his eyes blearily. Ezran was already asleep. “Goodnight.”

He imagined the spirits, the benevolent magic that visited children’s homes in the form of a kind old lady and her sleigh drawn by a big, powerful horse. He closed his eyes and drifted into a peaceful sleep. 

Sarai left the room and found Harrow meticulously stacking the gifts near the hearth. He stepped back, then grumbled and reorganized them. There weren’t too many, as it was just the boys, but it was apparently more than enough to make Harrow particular about their placement. 

“Love, the kids won’t care how they’re set up. Just leave the gifts and lets go to bed. Okay?” 

Harrow nodded. “Alright, alright.” He got up and headed for the tray of snacks left out, taking bites out of the bread and sips of eggnog. He smiled at his wife, reaching out to draw her into a hug. 

“I’m happy here,” Sarai said into his chest. 

“I’m glad. I want you right here with me. I love you,” Harrow said quietly. 

“I love you, too.” They smiled and kissed gently as the fire cracked and popped behind them. 

X 

In a post-gift trance, the family lounged in their sitting area. Callum was enthralled with pencils and Ezran was giggling over a stuffed banther toy. Bait surreptitiously snatched jelly tarts from an abandoned plate on the table. Sarai neatly folded a drawing of the family that Callum had gifted to his parents. 

“Only a few more days here, huh,” she said, almost sad now to think they’d be returning to the busyness of the castle. 

Harrow sighed. “Yes. We’ll enjoy the rest of it, I’m sure. Bait! That’s our last reserve!” He leapt for the table and snatched the plate away. The glow toad grumbled and turned a shade of red as he clambered back into Ezran’s lap. 

“Dad, you’re hurting his feelings! He’s just hungry,” Ezran said, hugging the smug Bait to his chest. 

“Uh huh. Sure.” Harrow crossed his arms, but a grin showed on his face. He looked through one of the windows and yawned. “Let’s make the most of these next few days.” 

X

The royal family wandered down the streets and browsed the various vendors. It was the eve of the New Year and festivals had sprung up in every town across Katolis. Music played on every corner and people danced and laughed. Snowflakes fell daintily from the sky and covered everything in a light veil. 

Callum wore a holly sprig tucked into his hair and Ezran wore a set of bells around each wrist, put there by his mother. Sarai had chosen to wear a long, red scarf around her neck and Harrow had chosen to wear nothing new besides a warm coat. 

People greeted them everywhere they turned, asking for news or advice, which they usually brushed off. They ate all kinds of desserts and treats, drank warm cider, and played various games. 

“It’s so late,” Ezran complained, leaning into Harrow’s legs and hanging on to keep himself standing upright. “Bleh.” 

“Just a little bit longer and it’ll be the next year, Ez!” Callum said, excitedly. He was still full of energy. “Isn’t that exciting?”

“Let’s make our way to the bonfire,” Harrow suggested. The family waded through the crowd and to a large open space where a towering pile of wood was stacked, waiting to be lit at midnight. 

Within the next quarter of the hour, the majority of the town had made their way to the bonfire and were standing huddled close together for warmth. Multiple guards had arrived to keep festival-goers just far enough from the fire. Amaya and Gren stood at the ready to light the fire when the time was right. 

Sarai waved to her sister, and signed something that made Amaya grin. 

Gren translated a short speech from Amaya about going into the New Year and trying to change your life for the better, something that was obviously scripted and had been used for years. Without much grandeur, several archers shot flaming arrows into the sky, landing perfectly on the pile as the clock in the square loudly rang out twelve strikes, an arrow for each ring. 

The townspeople cheered and Harrow drew his family in for a hug, smiling. 

It would be a good year.

**Author's Note:**

> So far my only one-shot, but if you liked this, let me know! I'm looking to make more pre-canon work as well if people are interested. 
> 
> And as always, if you want to see a POV in my main series post season three, let me know! Thanks again!


End file.
